'Partnering for Resilience' Seen as Key Approach to Emergency Preparedness
Disasters and unprecedented situations can strike whenever and wherever. Whether it’s a global pandemic, a terror attack, weather-related issues, cyber threats, economic shocks, water shortages, the list goes on. And sometimes, like the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, shocks can pile on top of each other, putting governments in a position of juggling multiple crises.
Now, IBM and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) have released a disaster preparedness guide to help governments better prepare and respond to whatever emergency they are facing. It’s called “Partnering for Resilience: A practical approach to emergency preparedness” and is the result of a roundtable of government leaders and emergency management experts. Those attending included leaders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The report focuses on building on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, and also stresses cooperation.
“The key to success—and the root cause of many failures when absent—is the strength of the network before, during, and after a disaster through partnerships established between sectors, levels of government, and agencies,” said the report.
The steps outlined are below.
Step 1: Strengthen the emergency preparedness and response network. This step reviews the importance of relationships between various federal, state and local agencies, and stresses the need for training, communication and building positive relationships. Agencies are also urged to engage the private sector and non-profits as they can “collectively bring resources, community relationships, capacities, and agility that governments lack” and inspect their culture to make sure it’s one that’s open to working with partners.
Step 2: Build local capacity. This step encourages local governments to make sure they have a disaster preparedness plan, work with the private sector and improve partnerships with other government entities. They can also “share experiences and identify and exchange successful practices.”
Step 3: Put community engagement and meeting diverse needs at the center of preparedness efforts. This step urges governments to make sure their emergency plans reflect the diverse needs of their community and consider the way emergency information is communicated to different populations. Public participation in planning programs is urged as it will “help to ensure public understanding and acceptance of the resulting decisions.”
Step 4: Dedicate sufficient and flexible resources. With funding critical for disaster response, governments are advised to “establish flexibility in funding streams within each level of government and across levels of government, so that funds can move quickly across organizations to respond to a crisis.” Governments are also advised to align disaster risks with the budget process.
Step 5: Establish the data strategy well before disaster strikes. As data is vital in an emergency and often forms the basis for decisions, governments should “define data elements consistently across the network, agree on data needed in real time and how it will be collected, and identify how to make data available to those who need it in formats they can readily use.” Governments are urged to evaluate data sharing programs and technology gaps.
Step 6: Establish workforce strategies to meet current, surge, and future needs. Hiring a workforce for front-line jobs is challenging and the authors recommend that governments establish programs to retrain and reskill workers, review opportunities to automate or use technology and focus on employee well-being. The report notes that “overwhelming stress faced by frontline workers and first responders” can lead to burnout.
This report is the first in a series. IBM and NAPA plan reports on cybersecurity, supply chain, sustainability, workforce skills and international cooperation.